Why do people worry if their bag looks tactical?

I find both extremes kind of funny actually. The mall ninja with all the tactical clothing and bags. I call them shoot them first people. Basically if someone is robbing a bank and sees someone inside with a Glock hat, 5:11 pants and a maxpedition pack, they will just shoot that person first. But the “grey man” look is kind of funny too. Bro your vertx pack still has a Velcro patch and your all black hat and grey shirt makes you stick out cuz you look like Jason Bourne. Also you have a flashlight clipped in your pocket we all know u have a gun lol. Your prob not cia just like to tell girls you are. O well I guess I can’t be pleased and have been guilty of both styles. Funny tho. Bedazzle for dudes.
 
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tueller said:
But the “grey man” look is kind of funny too. Bro your vertx pack still has a Velcro patch and your all black hat and grey shirt makes you stick out cuz you look like Jason Bourne.
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Lol Apparently we have different understandings of the "grey man," I see these guys as tactical-cool. Grey man to me means blending in where you are by dressing and behaving like the locals.
 
There is all manner of mythology out there that gets repeated so much on the interwebs that it that on the status of Gospel. There is probably not even one documented case of a guy being targeted for theft, harassment, etc. because he was carrying a "tactical" Man Sack during an emergency. The same can be said about those goofy paracord bracelets, which have never actually been used in an emergency, and the oft-repeated but inane notion of "over penetration". The same can be said for concealed carry insurance. These all sound good on the forums, but real world examples of these claims are sparse to nonexistent. When you challenge the veracity of these claims by asking for documented examples, people get huffy. They don't like having their worldviews turned inside out. Its disconcerting to them.
 
StoneAndSteel said:
Lol Apparently we have different understandings of the "grey man," I see these guys as tactical-cool. Grey man to me means blending in where you are by dressing and behaving like the locals.
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Will my military camouflage utility shirt count as being the first one shot at?
 
My bug out bag looks tactical, and would scare most people... It has two radios clipped on the outside, two mora knives and a 45acp classic.

My bag is geared towards getting us out of fire hazard area. I have grabbed it twice never expecting to see my house again. Never once thought about what it looks like. My wife commented on the bag a few times of why do I have it and to put it in the garage. Took the last fire for it to be apparent, wind almost trapped us on the road when someone freaked out and tried to pass on a blind corner and wrecked.
 
I guess like most things it depends on the situation taking place and the environment your in. There would be scenarios when functionality and camo would be preferred and there are scenarios when blending in with the sheople would be preferred.
 
I belong to a GORUCK team and we "ruck" around town every week. Our packs range from blue GORUCK bags to coyote brown Hazard 4 bags to a variety of MultiCam packs. People rarely pay attention to us, but we do occasionally get the "how far are you going" or "how much weight do you have in those packs" question. People seem more interested in the fact that we are walking around with weighted packs than what the packs look like or what they contain.

There is probably a philosophical lesson in here somewhere.

Basically, its not so much what you look like as it is how you're acting. Wear a pink Dora pack but act shady and people will take notice. Wear a camo pack but act like you're rucking / going about your business / friendly and people either won't take notice or will just be politely curious.
 
000Robert said:
Will my military camouflage utility shirt count as being the first one shot at?
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My though isn’t about simply not getting shot, it’s about not drawing attention. I’ve lived in a lot of places where that wouldn’t stand out at all (lots of hunting/military in those areas). And who would shoot you?! you’re 000Rob!

@DTOM1776 make a good point in that all of this grey man and mall ninja stuff sort of goes out the window when people actually know you. Somebody who knows you spent eight years in the Marines and enjoyed killing with an MRE spoon isn’t going to be fooled by your pink backpack. Likewise they wouldn’t be fooled when the mall ninja spins his harrowing tales of his edc heroics.
 
StoneAndSteel said:
My though isn’t about simply not getting shot, it’s about not drawing attention. I’ve lived in a lot of places where that wouldn’t stand out at all (lots of hunting/military in those areas). And who would shoot you?! you’re 000Rob!

@DTOM1776 make a good point in that all of this grey man and mall ninja stuff sort of goes out the window when people actually know you. Somebody who knows you spent eight years in the Marines and enjoyed killing with an MRE spoon isn’t going to be fooled by your pink backpack. Likewise they wouldn’t be fooled when the mall ninja spins his harrowing tales of his edc heroics.
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Criminals would be the only people that would try to shoot me. Or maybe if my path crossed paths with a psycho. That is always a possibility.
 
It’s just about not being able to be labeled. You see a person with a molle pack, 5.11 or carhartt pants, a shirt with an American flag on it and a trucker style hat, you can usually assume a few things. They are prob republican, have access to guns/knives, etc. The opposite goes for a guy with a man bun, skinny jeans, oversized glasses and a man purse. Where as a guy in jeans with a navy blue sweatshirt, and an LL bean backpack, is just harder to label and thus read. Of course these are huge generalities and of course their are exceptions but there are times to not care about the image you put out there but there are times you may want to blend in.
 
I totally understand the "gray man" desire, but its almost entirely academic.

If the feces strikes the oscillating blades ... predators are going to attack targets of opportunity. Man bun, rainbow flag, punisher t-shirt, giant De oppresso liber tat, it won't matter when a bullet finds you from an open window you overlooked.

The other 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of real life ... wear what makes you feel good.

Remember Rule No. 1 ....

ALWAYS
LOOK
COOL
 
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